The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring a fluid, in particular combustion fuel, to the tank of a vessel.
The invention also relates to a vessel that is equipped with a tank and such an apparatus.
Apparatuses of the aforementioned type are used, for example, to refuel vessels that are in motion. The problem with fueling a vessel, in particular, from another vessel is that the supply vessel and the vessel to be fueled are inevitably moving relative to one another due to the sea and their travel speed, which is, at least at times, different.
The common procedure when fueling a vessel is to span a steel cable—a so-called tension leg—between the two vessels and to pass, along said cable, at least one flexible pipe from the supply vessel to the vessel to be fueled. A rigid neck, which may be referred to as the fuel hose, is arranged at the leading end of the pipe, which hose may penetrate the filler neck of the transfer apparatus on the vessel to be fueled and secured or coupled there.
An apparatus, also referred to as the “Parker coupling”, is known from DE 16 00 550 B2, where the filler neck of the vessel to be fueled is pivot-mounted in a stationary bearing at the body of the vessel. This is to facilitate the adjustment of the filler neck when inserting the fuel hose. In the above-described prior art, the tensile stress exerted via the cable during insertion is supposed to force an automatic alignment of the fuel hose and filler neck. It has been proposed to fasten the filler neck to the bearing by means of a holding element. The holding element is equipped with a stopper for a wire rope, with which the fuel hose is pulled from the supply vessel to the vessel to be fueled.
In prior art and in DE 1 600 550 B2, the filler neck is connected to the tank of the vessel by means of a flexible hose. To ensure the necessary mechanical load capacity of the hose line, the latter must be quite heavy and feature comparatively thick walls and is therefore difficult to handle. Normally, the hose is—on the one hand—connected to a flange of the transfer apparatus for fueling purposes, and—on the other—to a flange that is firmly connected to the vessel, which is connected to the tank by means of a rigid pipe. This means that in order to connect the hose, the crew must first collect the heavy hose, seal it off at either flange by means of seals, and screw it in place by tightening a plurality of screws. After fueling, the hose is released at either flange and stored in an appropriate place on the vessel. It is obvious that the assembly of the hose requires a lot of work and is prone to errors, especially since such work must be performed by the crew on deck in any weather conditions and due to the fact that the hose is comparatively heavy and rigid, given its dimension and size.
The object of the present invention was thus to provide an apparatus for transferring a fluid medium, which apparatus can be handled more easily and safely and which, at the same time, ensures improved operating safety.